Blame It On The Mistletoe
by ansera
Summary: The tale of Baldr and Frigga is the reason behind all of this. Morgan/Reid.


The Christmas party was in full swing. It was being held at Garcia's house, which explained the number of people who Reid didn't recognize. There were groups clustered around the television, a movie about some vampires playing. Reid had watched part of it, but it made little sense, and from the comments being thrown around, the movie was being watched for the sake of insulting it instead of anything else.

"You as confused with this crap as I am?" Morgan's voice sounded somewhere behind him and Reid forced himself not to start.

"The movie?" he asked, and Morgan nodded in confirmation. "I was lost somewhere around her inability to be," he winced, "read," he said daintily. "Garcia's friend-"

"Brunette one, wearing a shirt with the guy's face on it?" Morgan grinned.

Reid shook his head. "Obsessive. Yes, though, that one, she tells me that it isn't explained in the other books either. Although this plot even being sold amazes me," Reid admitted.

"Tell me about it, Des says that all the girls in her school love it," Morgan said.

"Because of the actors?" he guessed.

"I don't see what's so nice about them," Morgan sounded personally offended that anyone –much less an entire fan base—could find them good-looking.

Reid laughed lightly. "The pale one looks –what is that term those tabloids use for extremely skinny men?"

"Maneroxic?" Morgan offered.

"Yes, that's the one," Reid nodded. "And the other one, well, it's easy to see why women like him," he shrugged.

"Really?" Morgan sounded doubtful.

"Morgan, he doesn't where a shirt throughout most of the movie, even I can see why women start screaming at the sight of him. I thought that you were supposed to be more perceptive to what women like between the two of us?" he asked teasingly.

Morgan grinned. "You insulting me, Pretty Boy?"

"Of course not," Reid said, not even bothering to dissuade Morgan from using the 'Pretty Boy' comment. "I'm just stating that all those drinks," he gestured towards the cup in Morgan's hand, "must be going to your head."

"It's fruit punch, how's that supposed to go to anyone's head?" Morgan asked. Reid opened his mouth to answer and Morgan quickly raised a hand. "Actually, forget it." He set the cup down on the small table next to him. "I won't drink anymore."

JJ walked by, a sleeping Henry in her arms, although how the boy could sleep with the noise –a music player playing songs with lyrics that he couldn't understand, the cat-calls from the women every time the 'other boy' came on screen, the jeers from the men in random intercepts, the shouts from the corner where some people were playing cards, they'd kicked out Reid after he'd won or the fourth time in a row, and the random chatter of everyone else in the room—was beyond Reid.

"Hey, guys," JJ said quietly.

Reid lifted a hand and stroked the back of Henry's head with a finger. "You leaving?" he asked, voice pitched just as low.

"Garcia's letting us use one of the rooms," JJ explained.

"Baby monitor?" Reid asked, and JJ nodded, tilting her head downwards to her waist, where the baby monitor was carefully attached. "Where's Will?"

"I've lost him to Twilight," JJ said, grinning. Reid looked over to the movie area, where Will was surrounded on either side by men in glasses and shirts that proclaimed "I'm not a geek, I'm a pop culture aficionado" and "" respectively. Garcia's friends, Reid was quickly coming to realize, were as quirky as she was.

"Aah, Twilight –the Cullen thing, right?" Reid remembered their earlier conversation.

"You know a character from Twilight?" Morgan sounded surprised, and Reid would have been offended if not for the fact that he only knew it because of extenuating circumstances.

"One of the girls in the used 'Cullen' as a password," Reid said, not going into the details, a definite way to ruin the mood.

"You didn't go out and get it?" Morgan gave a small half smile. "Read it in two minutes or something?"

"I tried to," Reid shrugged. "I couldn't get through it."

Morgan laughed. "Spencer Reid meets the one book he can't read. I don't know whether to be impressed or disgusted."

"The latter," Reid said firmly. "I do _not_ understand the fascination."

JJ looked between them, a knowing smile lighting her face. "I'm going to put Henry to bed, leave you two alone." She walked off, a hand reaching out to grab Emily and pulling her to the room as well. JJ whispered something to Emily, eyes bright and body tensed with excitement, and Emily, after a moment, started laughing loudly, although she was hushed quickly by JJ.

Reid watched the entire exchange with raised brows.

"Don't bother," Morgan said.

"What?"

"Trying to understand whatever it is they're talking about. I gave up a long time back," Morgan shrugged. Reid frowned, and Morgan slung an arm across Reid's shoulders. "Seriously, with Des and Sarah, you just let them talk about whatever they want to. You interfere, then you're setting yourself up for getting whacked."

"Whacked?" Reid asked sceptically.

"These women carry guns man, do not get in their way."

The words made Reid grin. "For an FBI Agent, you're a real coward sometimes."

"Only if it means I stay alive at the end of it all, man," Morgan said easily, his grin telling Reid that no offence was taken at the words. The man on the screen appeared shirtless again and the noise in the room increased tenfold. Even Morgan winced at the level. "You feel like getting out of here?" he asked.

"Yes." The answer was immediate.

Reid walked towards the direction JJ took, since Henry's room was bound to be less loud than the rest of the house. Peace was almost ensured around children. "Henry," he said, and Morgan nodded in understanding, following him through the hallway. He didn't remove his hand though, and Reid didn't ask him to either.

Emily and JJ were walking out at the same time, still smiling conspiratorially and talking to each other. At the sight of the two men though, all talk ceased and they walked towards them.

"We're going to Henry's room, 'kay, JJ?" Morgan asked.

JJ grinned. "Sure, it's quieter there, if that's what you're looking for."

"Don't know how you can take this," Reid said, gesturing back towards the loud crowd of people.

"Mother," JJ said, the word enough explanation.

"Friend of a mother," Emily added.

"Whatever." Morgan pulled Reid, "We're going, see you two later," he threw back over his shoulder. JJ and Emily said something unintelligible before laughing again, loud and clutching at their stomachs. Morgan walked towards the room, opening the door.

"Morgan, Reid," JJ called suddenly, leaning against Emily.

"Yeah?" Reid asked, turning at the doorway.

"Mistletoe," Emily pointed out with a finger at the clump above their heads. "You know what you have to do."

Morgan frowned. "No way," he said flatly.

"Come on, Hot Stuff," Garcia appeared from seemingly nowhere, a smug grin on her face as she linked arms with Emily.

Reid frowned as well. "I don't, I mean- did you know that this particular obligation of having to kiss under the mistletoe was of Scandinavian origin? The Norse god of vegetation, Baldr, had a mother, Frigga, who made every plant, animal and inanimate object promise not to hurt her son because she was prompted by a prophetic dream. However, she overlooked the mistletoe plant and Loki, the most mischievous god in Norse mythology, tricked the blind god Hod into killing Baldr with a spear made from mistletoe. Baldr's death brought winter into the world, until the gods restored him to life. So Frigga declared mistletoe to be sacred and ordered that it bring love instead of death into the world, and as such, any two people passing under the mistletoe celebrate Baldr's resurrection by kissing." Reid took in a deep breath, his cheeks tinted slightly pink, and he carefully didn't look at Morgan throughout the entire speech.

The three of them were still grinning and watching expectantly.

"Well, come on, Spence," JJ prompted. "Celebrate the vegetation guy's live, go on," she waved a hand at them.

Morgan groaned. "But I don't want to," he whined, leaning against the doorframe.

"Too bad, Morgan-" Garcia was interrupted swiftly.

"And Reid doesn't want to, either," Morgan said.

"If you're going to kiss him, maybe you should start calling him Spencer," Emily suggested.

Morgan's grimace fell into blankness. "Spencer?"

"That's my name," Reid muttered, looking down at his shoes. Morgan looked at the man and took note of the slightly hurt voice, the downcast eyes, and the fingers that played with the ends of his shirt, and sighed.

"Spencer?" Morgan said, and when the taller man looked up, Morgan leaned in and kissed him.

Reid let out a soft gasp, quickly swallowed by him, and Morgan felt soft, pliant lips open under his own. Morgan stayed still for a moment, before allowing his tongue to slip out, stroking Reid's lower lip before capturing it between two teeth, nibbling at it. Reid let out another sound –surprise, maybe—and Morgan took a step closer, hands moving to either side of Reid's body.

Reid's hands moved tentatively to Morgan's shirt, before he pressed his lips harder again Morgan's, the ensuing mock battle for dominance not one that Reid could win, and Morgan felt hands tugging at his shirt, closer towards him.

Morgan made a soft noise of encouragement deep in his throat, a hand pulling at the hair that kept falling into Reid's face, feeling the warmth stir in his body-

"Hey, hey, the door's open and I don't need my kid watching this stuff."

Morgan pulled back, breathing harsh and heavy, watching as the flush crept up Reid's face. JJ pushed between them into the room where Henry was awake now, Emily following her. Garcia was the last, clicking away at her phone.

"No need to Photoshop this," Garcia murmured as she walked past.

Morgan couldn't even argue.

"Well," Reid said, attempting to sound calm and failing completely. "That was- well," he blushed, and Morgan laughed.

"Come on, Pretty Boy," he said, his arm back around Reid's shoulders.

"Where?" Reid asked dumbly.

Morgan grinned. "To find another batch of mistletoe."


End file.
